Friends of the Library to give away children’s books during Festival

Friends of the Library will be donating free children’s books on Saturday, April 28, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. during what it is calling the “Free Children’s Book Giveaway.” Volunteers will be located in front of the elementary school. If the weather is bad, they will be located inside the Shepherd Elementary School.

The book giveaway will be taking place during the same time as the Children’s Village.

Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival Introduces new email newsletter and other features

Visitors on the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival website (http://www.shepherdmaplesyrupfest.org) now have the option to receive a notification via email any time that new information is posted. A sign up form will be located inside the right hand sidebar just below a search field. To sign up, visitors only need to enter in their email address and then confirm later by responding to an automated email message.

The SMSF website has seen a number of improvements this year, including a Questions and Answers forum, a discussion forum, and an improved contact directory.

Committee members and event coordinators are welcome to submit their event information or updates via an online discussion forum (http://www.shepherdmaplesyrupfest.org/forum). Or submit publication ready articles by clicking on “Copydesk” and then “Submit an Article.”

A set of guidelines for submissions to the SMSF website have been posted on the site at http://www.shepherdmaplesyrupfest.org/submissions-to-the-shepherd-maple-syrup-festival-website.

Jon Morgan, who serves as an Online Community Manager and online editor for the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival, is available via email or phone to anybody who has questions on how to get started with the promotion of their SMSF related event or program. He can be contacted by phone at (989) 828-4038 or via email at editor@shepherdhistory.org.

Pancake Eating Contest

Come and enjoy the fun as you eat as many pancakes as you can in eight minutes! Prizes awarded to all who enter the contest.

The Pancake Eating Contest will be held on Sunday, April 29, 2018 at 9 a.m. as a part of the 2018 Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival. The contest will take place under a tent in front of the Shepherd High School. In the case of bad weather, it will be moved into the high school cafeteria.

There is no cost to enter the contest.

Volunteers will be needed to help transport pancakes to the event, and then help with clean up.

For more information, contact Kathy Shepard via email at kshepard@edzone.net or by phone at 989-828-6486

The flea market will consist of a huge collection of vendors, crafts and distributors of a wide variety of new and used goods, curios and collectibles. There are 30 booths, with no 2 booths offering the same products, so you’ll be sure to find that special treasure or gift.

Submissions to the Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival Website

Submissions are currently being accepted on the website for the 2018 Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival. I am especially interested in publishing descriptions of events, festival related news, photos, and general stories or memories from previous festivals.

Anybody can submit materials, however if you are an event chairperson or a representative of an organization, it is especially important that you share information so that it can be published on the site.

If you are interested in having your event promoted on the website but you’re not sure where to start, I am always eager and available to answer questions and work with you to develop some ideas.

As with previous years, I will be working hard to cover all of the different events and aspects of the festival. However, it is the responsibility of anybody planning an event for the festival to share information so that it receives coverage that is fair and accurate.

Tips for Content

Announce the date of an event or some of the earlier details that have been confirmed. It helps visitors plan ahead and piques their interest.

Occasional updates. For example, changes or additions to your event or activity, or anyway that your event will be different compared to the previous year.

Featured volunteers. If there is someone who has been volunteering for your event for many years, or even a first time volunteer, you can feature them in a post with a photo.

Requests for help. Does your event require volunteers or supplies? Submit a request for help from the community.

Registration dates and forms. If participants need to RSVP or register ahead of time, share the instructions on the site. The site can also link to downloadable forms.

Special resources on the web. If you have a website or a page on Facebook where you will be posting updates, then let me know and I’ll link to it. But, it is also important to pass along information to the website so that stories can be published there as well.

Videos are another way great way to get the word out. You can video record an announcement about your event, or a tour of your venue. Videos from previous festivals help to set a tone and give festival attendees an idea of what they should expect.

Website Strategies

The goal is to create a page for each event or activity that is planned to take place during the festival, but this will only be possible once I begin receiving the information. As I produce new content, I will also be asking for a review before publication. News, updates, and announcements will be posted as blog posts.

The site will also feature a calendar of events and a contact list. If you find that your event is not represented in these sections, let me know and I will add the information.

Publishing Schedule

This year the website will be following a monthly publishing schedule. In many ways, this means that the site will operate a little like a newsletter, collecting content by a certain date and then publishing the content a few weeks later. This means that it is important to think ahead when submitting materials in order to make sure that your information will be able to go up in time.

Content will need to be submitted to me by the friday following a festival committee meeting. This means that the deadlines will be:

Friday, October 20 (adjusted)

Friday, November 10

Friday, December 15

Friday, January 12

Friday, February 16

Friday, March 16

Friday, April 13

Once I’ve been sent the content, I will need the four weeks to review and publish your update. Contributors can help speed things up by submitting completed articles that are ready to be published.

A great way to make sure that information goes up on time is to touch base with me by November and work out a schedule for your content. That way, you know what is needed for the website, and I know when to expect your submission.

Submitting your Content

There are different ways in which you can submit your content or get in contact with me.

Via the web. Click on “copy desk” in the upper menu on the site and then click “Submit an article.” Your submission will be saved on the site as a draft until it can be reviewed.

If you need to contact me, you can do so via the email shown above, via Facebook, or use the live chat tab that is displayed on the bottom right hand side of the website. I can also be reached by phone at (989) 488-8207.

Editorial Process

It is best if submissions are sent electronically. If you are requesting corrections, it would be acceptable to mark up a printed copy of a page and share it with me. The ideal method of sharing corrections would be to use Google Docs. I will be sharing previews of pages or posts and links to google docs where changes can be made.

Types of Submissions

The site is open to articles of different lengths. I will also accept photos, photo galleries, and video. If you are submitting media, then you should include a description which helps to describe what is happening.